Padma Lakshmi Says She’s ‘Speechless and Worried’ About Attack on Ex-Husband Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie and Padma Lakshmi in 2004. (CNN) — Padma Lakshmi supports her ex-husband Salman Rushdie in his recovery. The “Top Chef” star tweeted Sunday that she is “relieved” that Rushdie is “getting over the nightmare of Friday” in which he was stabbed multiple times while on stage in New York. “Worried and speechless, I can finally exhale,” Lakshmi also wrote in her tweet. “Now I hope for a quick healing.” Relieved @SalmanRushdie is pulling through after Friday’s nightmare. Worried and wordless, he can finally exhale. Now hoping for swift healing. — Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) August 14, 2022 Padma Lakshmi was married to the famous author from 2004 to 2007. Rushdie, 75, has long been the subject of threats due to controversy over some of his writings. On Sunday, her family said she was in critical condition at the hospital. “Although his life-changing injuries are severe, his usual feisty and defiant sense of humor remains intact,” his son Zafar Rushdie said in a statement. Hadi Matar, 24, of Fairview, New Jersey, was arrested by state troopers after the attack and taken into custody as the suspect responsible for the stabbing.